April 12, 2021
Set along a shallow stretch of the Tennessee River in the northwestern corner of Alabama, the communities of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia are known collectively as the Shoals. Early American Indian inhabitants referred to the Tennessee as the “singing river,” which would prove fitting. Alongside it, centuries later, a rich musical culture would emerge, as two studios, FAME and Muscle Shoals Sound, drew the greatest musicians of the sixties and seventies and established the area as the “Hit Recording Capital of the World.”
And while the Shoals also lays claim to the birthplaces of W.C. Handy (known as the “Father of the Blues”) and rock and roll pioneer Sam Phillips (founder of legendary Sun Studio), the creative culture of the area extends beyond music. From the Rosenbaum House, the only Frank Lloyd Wright building in Alabama, to the flagship store of fashion designer Billy Reid, to acclaimed restaurant Odette, artistic excellence abounds. Road trippers will also discover a handful of requisite oddities and off-the-beaten-path delights, including a celebrated general store, a coon dog cemetery, and an Old West saloon built under a rock outcropping.